


it must've been the wind

by i_was_human



Series: what do you desire? [3]
Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Exhaustion, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Lee Minsung is a Good Brother, No beta we die like mne, Overworking, Sad, Team as Family, sa1nt is barely there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25975951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: In which Minsoo experiences confirmation bias, and Jaewon and Daehyun have to discuss some things they'd really rather not.Oh, and Minsung is a good brother.
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Kang Dongho | D.Min & Kim Daehyun, Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Lee Minsoo, Kim Daehyun & Lee Minsoo, Lee Minsoo & Lee Minsung
Series: what do you desire? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888651
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	it must've been the wind

The first time Minsoo meets Kim Daehyun, the younger man spills water on himself and babbles about how much of a fan he is.

He's small - small in a way even Taeseok and Hyunjin aren't, as though he's learned to be that way - and Minsoo's heart twinges when he sees mottled bruises peeking out from under his sleeves. 

He's _small_.

They chat (daehyun rants and minsoo listens) for around ten minutes before a redhead jogs up to them, pushing a water bottle into Daehyun's hands and giving him a concerned look. 

"Hyung!" Daehyun squeaks, and the redhead (god, he can't be that much older than daehyun, can he?) turns to Minsoo, eyes widening upon seeing who it is.

"A-Ah, sunbaenim-"

He drops into a quick bow, and Minsoo rubs the back of his neck, thoroughly embarrassed. "Hey, hey, you can just call me hyung!"

The kid raises his head, and he looks _tired_. Dark bags underscore deep brown eyes, his hair falling limp around his face, and not for the first time, Minsoo wonders what their company is doing to them.

(objectively, he knows. the idol life is the antithesis of self-care, after all.)

Still.

"What's your name?"

The kid's eyes widen for an instant, and his gaze flits to Daehyun before landing back on Minsoo. "Ah... Wyld."

"Your real name," Minsoo presses. God knows if he had to call Youngjoon "Young J" all the time he'd lose his mind.

"...Ahn Jaewon."

"Nice to meet you!" Minsoo grins, offering a hand. "I'm Lee Minsoo, but you probably know that already."

"Yes," Daehyun whispers, sounding slightly like he's ascended.

Jaewon nods, and Daehyun takes a sip from his water bottle, their gazes meeting for a moment before flitting back to Minsoo.

It's _weird_.

"So, what group are you guys from?"

"MAYHEM," Jaewon replies, drawing his shoulders back and clenching his jaw.

He's nervous.

"You don't have to be nervous," Minsoo laughs, and Jaewon nods. "I feel like I've heard of you guys."

Daehyun's expression falls, but Jaewon's poker face doesn't waver. "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know where, though..."

"Hyung!"

Taeseok bounces up and down from his position near the mats, and Minsoo waves, turning to give the two younger men an apologetic grin. "Sorry, I gotta go. It was great to meet you!"

"Bye," Daehyun dazedly replies, and Minsoo races off to rejoin his group. 

* * *

_"Minsoo-yah?"_

Minsoo leans against the bathroom wall, the tile cool on his back. "Hey, hyung."

_"What's up?"_

"...I met some new kids at ISAC today."

_"You don't sound happy about that."_

"Mm..."

_"What's wrong, Minsoo-yah?"_

"I know I've heard of them before," Minsoo mutters, "but I don't know where."

_"...well, I probably can't help you there."_

"Yeah, yeah. You need to get out more, hyung!"

_"I get out enough!"_

"Do you even have friends?"

_"Yah, Lee Minsoo, I have friends! I have lots of friends!"_

"Mhm."

_"Hey!"_

"Anyways, I gotta go, hyung. It was great talking to you!"

_"...Minsoo, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"_

"...of course."

 _"Good._ _Stay safe, little brother."_

"Thanks, Minsung-hyung."

* * *

The next time Minsoo has a free day, he looks the kids up.

MAYHEM's a group under High Class Entertainment - a relatively small company. It's made of three members, D.Min, Wyld, and Daehyun, and are known for the sheer quantity of scandals they've accumulated in a relatively short amount of time.

What really catches Minsoo's eye, though, is one photo.

D.Min's dragging Jaewon out of a club, blood smeared over his hands and grip on Jaewon's wrist tight enough to bruise. The younger man stares at him, fear shining in his eyes, and the bruises on Daehyun's arms suddenly make a sickening amount of sense.

Minsoo grits his teeth, staring at his phone and wishing he could meet D.Min more than anything.

Repay the favor, as it were.

And yet-

surely he's mistaken. Surely it's not what it looks like.

Right?

He hops on YouTube, searching up some clips of MAYHEM and grabbing a pillow.

Surely it's not what it looks like.

Their interviews are genial enough, if a bit stilted - Minsoo doesn't miss the way Daehyun glances at D.Min before answering a question about work - and their songs are actually pretty good. 

Still.

Something's _wrong_ with MAYHEM, and dammit, Minsoo's going to find out what.

As soon as he figures out how to contact them again, that is.

* * *

The chance comes sooner than he anticipated.

He's MCing for a radio show when the news comes in that MAYHEM's Wyld is coming in to talk about his new scandal, and he's _excited_.

Well. Excited in a sadistic sort of way.

Sure enough, when Jaewon arrives, he looks even skinnier than he did previously. Hatred simmers in Minsoo's gut - hatred for the man who's doing this to him - but he holds his tongue.

The broadcast goes pretty well, actually. Jaewon's charismatic and cheerful, his genuine excitement making a normally-painful time slot turn to something genuinely enjoyable.

It's nice, and Minsoo privately wonders what's keeping him from acting like this normally.

After an hour and a half, they're done, and before Jaewon can run off to his van or manager or anything, Minsoo grabs his hand and drags him to a back corridor, pulling him into an empty room and slamming the door behind him.

"Hyung?" Jaewon ventures, and _god_ , he looks terrified - small and weak and _scared_ in a way Minsoo _hates_. "What is this?"

"Who's hurting you, Jaewon-ah?"

Jaewon blinks at him, and for a split-second, Minsoo can see a flash of _terror_ in his eyes. "What? Nobody."

"I know what's happening, Jaewon-ah."

Jaewon goes completely rigid at that, expression firmly resembling a deer in the headlights. "...what's happening, then?"

"D.Min's hurting you, isn't he?"

"What?"

Jaewon stares at him, horror shining in his eyes. "No! Hyung- hyung didn't do _anything_!"

"You don't need to defend him," Minsoo tries, but Jaewon's already shaking his head. 

"He would never do that! He's not- he's _not like that_!"

"Jaewon-"

"You can't tell him," and now Jaewon's all but _begging_ , a fact that's starting to concern him. "You- you _can't tell him_."

"Jaewon-ah, he's _hurting you_ -"

"No, he's _not_! You're not _listening_!"

Jaewon seems... desperate, honestly. _Terrified_ of Dongho knowing Minsoo knows. 

"Hyung... he takes care of us! He's trying to make sure we're safe and not getting overworked, trying to make things better in the little ways he can! He's not- he would _never_ do this!"

"Then who is?"

Jaewon stops short at that, mouth hanging open for a moment before shutting with an audible click. "I can't... I can't tell you."

"Jaewon-ah..."

"Just... please, trust me, hyung," Jaewon begs, and Minsoo can't find the words to convince him otherwise. "Please."

"...give me your phone?"

"What?"

"I'm giving you my number," Minsoo states, and Jaewon fumbles with his pockets, eventually pulling out his phone. "Just in case, y'know?"

Jaewon stares at him, concern mingling with something bordering on awe, and he bites his lower lip, gaze falling to his hands. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Minsoo grins, keying in his number and saving it under _minsoo-hyung <3_. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Jaewon doesn't reply.

* * *

"I don't know what to do, hyung."

_"So you're actually calling me? Wow. My little brother really matured, huh?"_

"Just 'cause I haven't gone over there to deck him doesn't mean I _won't_."

Minsoo stares at his computer, pages upon pages of information about abuse pulled up. "He wasn't... he wasn't acting normal, hyung. He was terrified of something, and I don't... I don't know _what_."

_"From the sounds of it, you do."_

Minsoo sighs, resting his chin on his hand. "Yeah, yeah..."

_"What're you gonna do about it?"_

"I'm going to their dorm tomorrow, I think. I need to know what's happening here."

_"Good. I'm proud of you, Minsoo-yah."_

Minsoo smiles, though it falls into a half-scowl as his gaze drifts back to his laptop. "Thanks, hyung."

_"And, hey- I have a free day next week. Do you want to get together for lunch?"_

"Are you gonna bring your friends?"

_"Yah! What's wrong with my friends?"_

"Nothing...?"

_"You're such a liar!"_

"Okay, you guys are _weird_! All you ever talk about is medical stuff!"

_"Says you! You and Youngjoon-ah once got into an argument over chords in front of everyone!"_

"That was an important conversation!"

_"Yeah, yeah. Hey- I'll pick up the tokens from last time, if you wanna go to the arcade?"_

"You ready to lose again?"

Minsoo balances the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he roots through his things, eventually locating his keys. 

_Score_.

_"I beat you last time!"_

"At MarioKart, not at DDR."

_"Why would I even be practicing DDR? You're a dancer."_

"You're a doctor, but that doesn't stop you from playing MarioKart."

_"That's not the same thing, and you know it."_

"Mm. Sorry, hyung, I have to go - dance practice."

_"'kay. Stay safe, Minsoo-yah."_

"Sure. Bye, hyung. Love you."

_"What's this? I love you too, Minsoo-yah."_

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Minsoo nods, and Youngjoon pauses, concern flashing in his eyes.

"You'll call me if you need me, right, hyung?"

He's worried about Daehyun - Minsoo can tell.

(honestly, he's worried too.)

"Of course, Joonie."

"Good," Youngjoon replies, and Minsoo ducks out of the door before the taller man can object.

It's a decently long walk to MAYHEM's dorm, and Minsoo uses the twenty minutes to puzzle over what he's going to say.

After all, he can't just walk in and deck D.Min, can he?

Probably not.

Shame.

By the time he arrives at their dorm, he's firmly decided that he's going to wing it.

(he can hear kyunghun screaming at him not to, and he decides to ignore him.)

Daehyun's the one that answers the door, hair messy and concealer doing little to hide a black eye, and Minsoo feels _fury_ take over, red-hot and _burning_.

How _fucking dare he_?

"Where is he?" Minsoo hisses, and Daehyun blinks at him, thrown.

"What?"

"Where the _fuck_ is D.Min?"

Daehyun's eyes widen, and he shakes his head. "No, no, hyung, you have the wrong idea-"

Minsoo pushes past him, and Daehyun grabs his wrist, pulling him back. "This _wasn't him._ "

"Dae..."

"It _wasn't_ ," and there are tears in his eyes, now, one rolling down his cheek. "You can't- you can't tell him about this. Please."

"I don't understand," Minsoo weakly replies, and Daehyun takes his hand, pulling him through the living room and into his and Jaewon's room.

The room is a reflection of its occupants, Minsoo notes - Daehyun's side filled with plushies and posters (including some sa1nt ones, and _wow_ is it strange to see his face on someone's wall) and Jaewon's barren save for a few plushies on the bed and a few photos on the wall.

Jaewon's photos are all candids, he notices. There's one of Daehyun sitting on his bed, eyes shut and fingers on the neck of a guitar, and another of a blond man asleep at a computer, head pillowed in his arms and the rising sun forming a halo around his head.

Minsoo doesn't need to ask if they're close - not now.

Nobody takes photos like that of strangers. 

He feels like he's prying into parts of their lives he has no right to access, but he can't drop it now.

Daehyun stares into his eyes, a fascinating dichotomy between light and darkness. His skin's ghostly-pale, a bright yellow hoodie hanging off his skeletal frame, but dark bags the same color as his bruises rim his eyes, and his pitch-black hair hangs in his eyes, thick enough that Minsoo imagines he hides behind it.

Which-

he _hates_ , honestly.

Daehyun seems like such an exuberant person, someone who simply _oozes_ life and happiness and delight. 

And yet, in all the time Minsoo's known him, he's never seen Daehyun truly delighted.

"Do you want to know what happened?"

Daehyun's voice is little more than a whisper, something that could be snatched away by the wind, and Minsoo's heart _aches_.

"...yes."

So Daehyun tells him.

He tells him about the non-stop schedules, about the way they're isolated and worked to the bone. He tells him about the dance instructors who use violence as motivation, tells him about the way the CEO plays all three of them like fiddles - pushing them further and further on the basis that he could make someone else do it. He tells them about the scandals, actions blown out of proportion or misconstrued, tells him about the way his bandmates slowly distance themselves from him in an apparent bid to protect him.

He tells him that D.Min - _Dongho_ \- knows none of this.

Minsoo's gaze flits, unbidden, to the photo by Jaewon's bed, and he tries to reframe things with this in mind.

It's difficult.

Daehyun, noticing this (and the kid's _perceptive_ , able to pick up on others' irritation or confusion _so easily_ ) pulls out his phone, sliding over to take a seat next to Minsoo. 

"I took this when we went to the beach," he murmurs, and Minsoo stares at the screen as the video starts. "A year and a half ago, I think."

_"Hyung, hyung, are you watching?"_

_Daehyun jumps up and down in the waves, and the camera pans to focus on a gently-smiling Dongho, a water bottle in his hands. "I'm watching, Dae."_

_"Awesome!"_

_Daehyun starts paddling out to sea, occasionally giving the camera a thumbs-up, and someone huffs from behind the camera, the screen flickering to the sky._

_"It's gonna rain," Dongho states, and the person behind the camera sighs._

_"Ah... I hope not!"_

_"I should've checked the forecast," Dongho points out, and the person behind the camera - Jaewon - whacks him with a magazine._ _It's a gentle whack, but a whack nonetheless._

_"Dae's enjoying himself," Jaewon points out, and the camera pans back to Daehyun, distantly visible among the dark waves._

_"We should go bring him back in," Dongho states, and Jaewon hums assent. "Can you start packing up stuff in case it starts pouring? I'm gonna go grab him."_

_"'kay."_

_"Why're you still filming?"_

_"Candids?" Jaewon helplessly replies, and Dongho gives the camera a small grin._

_"Daehyun likes those, huh?"_

_Lightning flashes in the distance, and Dongho swears, yanking off his sweatshirt and chucking it to the ground. "Pack the stuff up!" he calls, and the camera follows him as he sprints down the beach, silver-blond hair waving in the wind._

The video comes to a stop, and Minsoo raises his head, staring at Daehyun with a silent question in his eyes.

_Why did he keep that?_

"They're good people," Daehyun murmurs, and Minsoo knows, now, why he played that. "They... they're my best friends."

That was Minsoo's mistake, he realizes. 

Acting like D.Min and Wyld are the same as Dongho and Jaewon- it's a lesson he's learned before, but somehow didn't think to apply here.

After all, Young J and Ven are different from Youngjoon and Hyunjin. Why would MAYHEM be any different?

"Fuck," Minsoo simply states, staring at the frozen image on Daehyun's phone. "I messed up."

Daehyun doesn't reply.

* * *

Minsoo ends up agreeing to spend the night, and Daehyun's ecstatic.

He actually bothers to cook - a rarity, given how little the rest of the band is actually home for dinner - and Jaewon even makes an appearance, though said appearance consists of him giving Minsoo a tired hello and passing out at the table.

It's the sentiment that counts.

Minsoo helps where he can - not much, since Kyunghun banned him from the kitchen after he set a towel on fire - and Daehyun rewards him with exhausted smiles, though the emotions they carry are still genuine.

It's nice seeing him smile.

Minsoo likes it.

(and, in all honesty, he's already adopted these kids. he already has four... quasi-children, he can take two more.)

Once they're sitting down for dinner, Daehyun rouses Jaewon with three quick taps on the shoulder, and Minsoo digs in, Daehyun and Jaewon following suit after a moment's hesitation. They're all on diets, Minsoo knows, but goddamn if he won't fight XR to within an inch of its life to have this food.

High Class is another story, but Daehyun and Jaewon could use an extra meal.

Around halfway through dinner, the door creaks open, and Daehyun perks up, reminding Minsoo strangely of a puppy with the way he turns. "Hyung! You're home!"

"Mhm," someone hums, and Minsoo stares at Dongho trudges into the room, messy hair hidden under a beanie and a bag slung over his shoulder. "I'm gonna take a shower and then come back, 'kay?"

"Say hi to Minsoo-hyung first!"

Dongho's gaze snaps to him, and Minsoo feels a sudden rush of _fear_ as the exhausted dancer disappears, thrown away in favor of the facade of _confident leader_.

It's one Minsoo knows well.

(he sees it in the mirror.)

"Nice to meet you," Dongho ventures, wariness evident and politeness visibly forced. "You're Daehyun-ah's friend?"

"You know who he is," Daehyun teases, and Dongho shoots him a " _shut-the-hell-up_ " look. 

"Yep!" Minsoo grins, bounding over to offer a hand. "Daehyun-ah's, Jaewon-ah's, and yours, too, if you wanna be."

Dongho blinks at him for a moment, and Minsoo's smile doesn't waver.

"You have sauce on your hand," he finally replies, and Minsoo wipes it on his jeans, not breaking eye contact.

Dongho's _tall_ \- though not as tall as Daehyun - and exhausted in the sort of bone-deep way that only comes from months without proper sleep. Platinum hair hangs limp around his face, and it doesn't suit him at all - a dark color would do much better, Minsoo thinks, rather than the punk-boy look they're going for - though, really, none of theirs do.

They're locked in some sort of impasse before Daehyun steps between them, lips curling into a bright grin. "Alright! Hyung, you go shower, and other-hyung, come back to dinner!"

"Yeah," Dongho simply replies, and Minsoo watches, bewildered, as the man strides off, somehow managing to pull the shreds of his composure into something resembling sanity.

"Wow," he murmurs, and Daehyun nods, sadness flickering in his eyes.

"He's so tired, all the time... he has an early meeting tomorrow, and notes to review, and schedules to double-check, and practice right after the meeting, and he just got back from vocal lessons-"

"Calm down," Minsoo advises, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Is that just a busy day?"

"It's kinda light," Daehyun murmurs, and Minsoo stares at him. "Your schedules aren't like that?"

"We end at ten and get up at six," Minsoo replies, "but it's ten now, right?"

"Mhm."

"How late do you guys work?"

"As late as everyone else," Daehyun hums, "maybe a bit less."

"How late?"

"Eleven to midnight, up at five to six, usually. Jaewon-hyung sometimes just stays at the company."

"How are you _alive_?"

Daehyun shrugs, a lop-sided motion that makes Minsoo want to punch something. "It's not that late. A lot of other groups have to work a lot later."

"No," Minsoo whispers, "they don't."

* * *

In a move that doesn't surprise him in the slightest, Dongho volunteers his room for Minsoo's use.

Daehyun and Minsoo both object - Minsoo on the grounds that that's _weird as hell_ , and Daehyun on the grounds that, contrary to popular belief, Dongho _does need sleep_ \- and they compromise on the fact that the leader has a decently-sized (if rarely used) bed that both he and Minsoo can fit on. 

Minsoo privately doubts he'll use it.

Still, he's pleasantly surprised when he opens his eyes the next morning to Dongho sprawled out on the bed next to him, hair messy and one arm wrapped around a tiny stuffed cat.

It's goddamn adorable.

(minsoo then kicks himself for calling the objectively scary dongho _adorable_.)

Daehyun's chewing contemplatively on a granola bar when he enters the kitchen, and he tosses one in Minsoo's general direction without raising his head. Light reflects on his face in the dim room, and Minsoo crosses the space to lean against the counter, peering over Daehyun's shoulder at the information on the screen. 

Twitter.

Oh, boy.

"Too early," he states, pulling Daehyun's phone from his hands. "Coffee first."

Daehyun tries to glare at him, but it really just comes off adorable. "Hyung-"

"Coffee," Minsoo repeats, pocketing Daehyun's phone. 

Technically, he's wearing Jaewon's pants and Daehyun's hoodie, so he's already sort of committing theft, so why not add a phone to the mix?

Daehyun blinks at him as Minsoo pours him a cup, and the elder grins, sliding it across the table. "I put in all the sugar."

"Oh," Daehyun simply replies, but he's half-smiling, so Minsoo calls it a win.

Better than nothing, at least.

**Author's Note:**

> aLL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN AMIRITE
> 
> these fics are finally a series thank GOD
> 
> don't super like where it ended but i think it works well
> 
> fic title from must have been the wind by alec benjamin
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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